Coupa allows for real-time visibility of invoices and payment status. Electronic invoicing gives you more control over your invoices and makes the payment process much smoother. Once your invoice is in Coupa, you can use the Coupa Supplier Portal (CSP) to see its status, including if it is pending approval.
Use of the Coupa Supplier Portal is free.
Yes, Darden requires that all non-food/liquor vendors submit invoices through Coupa
Coupa is a purchasing tool through which Darden users create purchase requests and suppliers submit invoices for approval. The Darden Vendor Management Portal (Apex) is a tool to manage Darden supplier information, including remit to address, contact information, payment terms and early payment discounts.
Yes, these are two different systems. Coupa is for purchase requests and invoicing while the Darden Vendor Management Portal is for company information and payment details.
iBuy is our internal name for Coupa. Both names refer to the same tool.
Purchase orders are required for all transactions initiated at the Darden Corporate office (Restaurant Support Center). Our restaurant managers will not create purchase orders but we still require their suppliers to invoice Darden through Coupa.
We will email an invitation to whoever you designate as your Coupa contact. Please reach out to your primary business contact at Darden with the contact information. Darden’s AP team will then verify that this information is in our vendor master file. If not, we will send you an invitation to the Darden Vendor Management Portal. Once your contact information is in the Vendor Management Portal, you’ll receive an invitation to Darden’s Coupa instance.
Yes, you can use the same account. You simply need to ensure your Coupa contact is correct in the Darden Vendor Management Portal and we can email you a registration link. If you do not have access to this yet, please provide the email for the person responsible for your vendor information (including tax ID) to your Darden business contact. We will send an invitation to the Vendor Management Portal so you can update your Coupa contact information.
We may have the incorrect contact information for your organization. You can update this information in the Darden Vendor Management Portal. If you do not have access to this yet, please provide the email for the person responsible for your vendor information (including tax ID) to your Darden business contact. We will send an invitation to the Vendor Management Portal so you can update your Coupa contact information.
We may have the incorrect Coupa contact information for your organization. Please update this in the Darden Vendor Management Portal. If you do not have access to this yet, please provide the email for the person responsible for your vendor information (including tax ID) to your Darden business contact. We will send an invitation to the Vendor Management Portal so you can update your Coupa contact information.
Coupa will be used for Darden RSC/Corporate transactions and all restaurant locations. Please continue to bill the RSC/Corporate departments separate from the restaurant(s). When submitting an invoice, there is an option to submit the invoice to a restaurant vs a corporate department. Note that all restaurants are not on Coupa yet; we are rolling Coupa out slowly to the restaurants. Invoices submitted to non-live restaurants will be automatically disputed. Until the restaurant is available, please continue to submit invoices as you do today for that location.
Attachments are an optional field. However, it is helpful to include attachments for future reference and documentation.
No, Darden users can approve and submit POs for multiple transactions at once. For example, if you typically provide monthly services, Darden users can submit a Purchase Order for multiple months and you can invoice against that same PO multiple times until the PO amount is depleted. Keep in mind, however, that the purchase order is not a contract and should be used solely as a method to facilitate approvals and invoicing.
It is possible to receive one Purchase Order for all brands and for multiple months. Please reach out to your Darden primary business contact to establish an efficient purchasing/invoicing process.
Yes, you must enter invoice details in order to submit the invoice.
Please work with your primary contact at Darden to discuss which details you would like to have in your Purchase Order and they will do their best to accommodate your request.
If you have contracted rates, please reach out to your contact to discuss Invoice with Contract options. This will make invoicing easier for both parties involved and gives more detail at an invoicing level. You may also want to discuss a Catalog option if you are dealing with purchasable goods.
No, your point of contact will not change. We will have support teams to help with the transition to Coupa, but you will still be working with your same contact at Darden on a day-to-day basis.
Your payment terms should be identified in your contract and may not be correctly reflected on any purchase orders you receive. If you do not have a contract with Darden, you will be paid under Darden’s Corporate Payment Terms — with invoices paid on the 7th of the second month following the invoice date (approximately 60 days). For example, an invoice dated between Jan. 1- Jan. 31 will be paid on March 7.
If your company processes a high number of invoices with Darden on a weekly/monthly basis, you have other options than manually entering the invoices into CSP. Please talk with your Darden contact about the possibility of cXML enablement.
We would greatly appreciate your collaboration with Darden to begin transacting via the Coupa Supplier Portal as the process provides benefits for both parties. If you have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact your primary contact at Darden to discuss your options.
A good first step is to contact your IT department as they can sometimes grant someone temporary access to email to log in as the Admin that left your company, and add yourself as a user with full access to all roles and permissions. If you still need help, please change your Coupa Contact in the Darden Vendor Management Portal and notify your Darden business contact of the issue. We will then send you an invite using your email. All the historical transaction data will remain accessible. Some basic company information and payment locations/details may need to be updated in the new account, but most of the important information and transaction details are carried over automatically to the new account.
No, the person invited to register with Coupa can set up multiple contacts with access, as needed. It is always good to have at least two people with access to ensure no disruption if the primary Coupa contact is out of office.
Documentation requirements are not changing with Coupa. If you have always been required to provide a waiver, you would continue to do so by attaching it on the invoice page in Coupa.
There is not a way to upload invoices through a spreadsheet via the Coupa Supplier Portal. However, you can establish a cXML connection with Darden by talking to your primary business contact.
If you are interested in setting up cXML, please contact your primary Darden business contact to establish efficient ways for purchasing.
Your Darden business contact is the person you typically engage in business with. If you are not sure, reach out to coupahelp@darden.com and we can point you to a business contact that can assist.
